Often, business, government and the general public requires the use of a mailing system to provide certified or registered information. For instance, an attorney requires the use of registered or certified mail in order to provide written notice and the recording of the receipt and contents of that notice, with respect to an event or events that may occur under certain conditions or circumstances. As an example, an attorney wants an opposing party to cease and desist from certain activities affecting the attorney's client. Presuming that the law enables the collection of damages in a lawsuit following the notice only from the date such notice is given, a record that the opposing party received the notice, a record of the time and date of the notice, a record showing that the correct address (phone number) of the recipient of the notice was used and a record of the response to the notice, if any, is critical in evaluating damages owing to the attorney's client at the conclusion of the law suit.
Existing phone equipment and technology, in total, is capable of providing the steps of the method envisioned by this invention, but would need arranging and alternative use in order to provide the sequence, billing, record and accomplishment of objectives contemplated by the present invention. Also, it is probably important to have a record that the recipient was advised at the outset that the entire call was being recorded.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,487 to Bergsman discloses a method for use in connection with a voice mail system in order to deliver a message to a particular person at a particular time. Bergsman uses pre-programmed prompts to initiate various steps of his method, but does not use the steps of recording and delivering and specifying of the circumstances of the message sufficient to anticipate the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,926 to Misholi discloses apparatus for producing a message, as well as notification means and recording means for the message. The Misholi system provides a disclosure of apparatus that is useful in the method of the present invention, but does not anticipate the overall objectives and functioning of the system as disclosed herein. The Ertz patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,577 warrants the same comments as Misholi above. These patents plus the following are useful only in disclosing apparatus useful in the present method, but none anticipate a combination with others, or the method as contemplated herein:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor ______________________________________ 5,113,429 Morley, Jr. 4,602,129 Matthews 4,972,462 Shibata 5,009,509 Morganstein 4,805,207 McNutt 4,853,952 Jackmann 4,476,349 Cottrell ______________________________________